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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Concurrent exhibitions by three Hamiltonian Fellows, Ryan Hoover, Jessica van Brakle and Lina Vargas De La Hoz at Hamiltonian on view through June 18th, 2011.

Fusing Mid-Century modernist furniture with 1960's mainframe computers, Ryan Hoover presents a showroom of large, physical objects that make tangible the networks to which he is tied. Inside his sleek yet awkward furnishings, Hoover implements Arduino micro-controllers that process data pulled from his email accounts, social networking sites and geolocation sharing sites. The data displayed on the sculpture is updated every few minutes based on Hoover's activity within his networks. Ryan Hoover is at once furniture designer and computer engineer, creating outmoded yet current appliances that offer information about him, and the many arteries to which he is connected.

Sourcing 19th Century German Master Landscape drawing, Jessica van Brakle presents a new series of paintings that contain elements of contemporary man-made construction equipment in lieu of natural elements. This act of substitution questions the role of industrialized technology in the manufacturing of our contemporary landscape. van Brakle's use of draftsmanship and seemingly incomplete drawing pushes her work to a new realm. The linear outlines of the landscape become an armature for ideas about essence and potential extinction. Stripped down to a skeletal level, the construction cranes become symbols of power, growth, and the possible "paved paradise" of the twentieth century.

Lina Vargas De La Hoz's latest work is a continuation of Umziehen Umzug, a series of sculptural installations and performances that show the transformation of clothes from objects to space. Vargas De La Hoz presents "jacket-tents," specifically constructed for teenagers and businessmen. The "jacket-tents" utilize space as a medium to pose questions about the way individuals cope with their fraught surroundings. In her latest work, Vargas De La Hoz is using the human body to address the politics of space, architecture and human relationships, and continues to explore the ambivalence of and oscillation between body and space. By using seemingly everyday objects to transform an individual's physical presence within a space, Vargas creates experiences that are at once tactile and visual. Performances of Lina Vargas De La Hoz's new work will take place:

HAMILTONIAN GALLERY is a new dynamic space in the heart of the growing Washington DC contemporary art district. The gallery focuses on innovative works by emerging and mid-career artists. In conjunction with Hamiltonian Artists, the gallery will promote new artists, aiding in their further development. Through our dynamic exhibitions and gallery programs, we seek to broaden the cultural dialogue within our modern community.